Our mission is to open up the world of communication to people with hearing loss by providing education, information, support and advocacy.
In addition to Virtual Meetings we will have informal open virtual chat meetings each Saturday morning, 10 am to noon until we do not have social distancing restrictions in place. Next informal chat meeting is Dec 12th.
Meeting & Informal Chat LINK is:
https://meet.google.com/hon-jtjc-dpr (Phone Number to call in (570) 500-5073 use PIN: 771 105 468#)
Our next regular meeting after this winter hiatus is Sat March 6th 2021 at 10 am. (Meeting schedule below)
Chapter Member, Kat Imhausen (aka Mrs Claus) has stories for children with some sign language. LINK. Happiness is Signing.
Please join us!
We are a NEW local Chapter.
Our Newsletter is just one of the benefits of joining our Chapter.
Seminars, advocacy for the Hard of Hearing community, social events, support & volunteer opportunities
you are never alone in your hearing loss- 48 million people in U.S. have it
meet a new friend
learn technology for hearing loss
Contact us: info@HLAA-Indianapolis.org
HLAA-Indianapolis is an affiliate of HLAA National. Please visit www.hearingloss.org for the National webpage.
Our mission is to open up the world of communication to people with hearing loss by providing education, information, support and advocacy.
We believe sharing our hearing loss journeys through socialization, advocacy, information, and education is important for hearing health. Our organization is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization offering support to all ages who have hearing loss.
There are over 48 million people in the United States who have hearing loss. Today one in five people have hearing loss. The National Hearing Loss Association of America has existed for over 30 years helping people learn how to best cope. It used to be called the Self Help Hard of Hearing (SHHH) organization when it started. In addition, through our advocacy efforts, affiliates located in all 50 states we have made monumental changes in recent years through legislation and policy on behalf of those with hearing loss.
Come learn more about us and meet new friends who have hearing loss. All our meetings are VIRTUAL with cc throughout 2020.
We also offer volunteer opportunities to serve the community. If you are interested, please contact us.
Our Chapter President, Teresa Gonzalez, would like to share this exciting news:
Our chapter is honored to be the recipient of the 2020 HLAA Up and Coming Chapter Award! The award will be presented at the HLAA 2021 Convention in San Diego next year at the Awards Ceremony and Reception.
The Up and Coming Chapter Award is presented to a new chapter (under 2 years old), which most effectively delivers the HLAA mission for its members and the community. This award recognizes chapters for their overall programs that have opened the world of communication for local people with hearing loss through information, education, support and advocacy.
HLAA – Indianapolis Chapter Meetings for 2020
All virtual meetings are on 1st Saturdays of the month.
We have VIRTUAL Meetings during the Social Isolation period extending to December 2020.
Virtual Meeting links below.
(During Social Isolation period virtual meetings are from 10:15 am to noon)
Virtual Meetings HAVE CLOSED CAPTIONS.
During November and beyond informal, social chat meetings will be held Virtually by TELECONFERENCING every Saturday morning, 10am to Noon.
Friends, guests and members are welcome to join in this chat. Just click the link on the day.
Next informal chat meeting is Sat Dec 12th LINK to join. 10 am https://meet.google.com/hon-jtjc-dpr (Phone Number to call in (570) 500-5073 use PIN: 771 105 468#)
Copy this to any browser to join the meeting. Link is unique for each meeting.
Dec 5th Virtual Meeting, Virtual Holiday Potluck & Virtual Trivia Quizz. AGENDA LINK
Our next regular meeting after this winter hiatus is Sat March 6th 2021 at 10 am.
Our meetings are advertised online in Eventbrite.com info and Nextdoor info. Take a look.
After the pandemic all meetings in 2020 will be held at Irvington Public Library.
Meetings continue to be held VIRTUALLY.
Schedule content may be subject to change.
ANYONE CAN JUST COME TO A VIRTUAL MEETING.
YOU ARE ALL MOST WELCOME.
Location when not in social isolation: Irvington Public Library (5625 East Washington St., Indianapolis IN 46219). All meetings provide CART text displayed on large screen & StreamText LIVE to cell phone/computer (Paste www.streamtext.net/player?event=HLAA into any browser to read live captioning of meeting.)
Home learning with Hearing Loss
Meeting Location after social distancing ceases:
Irvington Public Library: 5625 East Washington St Indianapolis 46219
Irvington Public Library
More about us:
Our Chapter was well represented at the "Listening & Spoken Language" conference in Indianapolis Feb 22, 2020.
Our meetings are a place where you can feel comfortable with others who have hearing loss too.
You are never alone!
Regular meetings are held with live captioning displayed on an overhead screen for members to follow.
(Virtual meetings are held during the pandemic-details in calendar )
Thank you to our Remote CART* provider, Susan Wollenweber Dezelan, who kindly does our meeting captions, gratis.
*CART stands for Communication Access Realtime Translation. CART is a service in which a certified CART provider listens to speech and instantaneously translates all the speech to text.
Meetings also have a StreamText link to provide live captioning during a meeting in order for anyone to follow via their device. (smartphone/computer/iPad etc.)
HLAA-Indy Seeks $ for Transparent Face Masks
During this time of Coronavirus, face masks are becoming the norm; however, a face mask can be a communication barrier. Let’s open the world of communication to people with hearing loss (deaf and hard of hearing people make up about 15 percent of the population), people who communicate non-verbally, and others who also rely on seeing lip/tongue/jaw movements for speech understanding. With the growing use of masks in medical facilities and greater society let’s not leave those who rely on facial expression out of the communication loop and possibly at risk. Transparent masks will help facilitate effective communication.
Please join us in making a difference. Money raised will go towards purchasing material, shipping, and handling. Any extra will go toward Hospital Kits for people with hearing loss and other activities that improve communication access.
Any donation will help make a positive impact. We appreciate your generosity! Donate now.
Please Help Us Reach Our Goal.
Other ways to support this Chapter:
Add HLAA-Indianapolis Chapter as your charity of choice to your Amazon account and help us achieve our mission with every Amazon purchase. Click on the link below and HLAA-Indianapolis Chapter will be added once you log into your Amazon account. Thank you.
Nominate us as your favorite charity when using ebay. You can donate any percentage you chose of any of your ebay sales/purchases to go to us. Click on the logo above.
Thank You For Your Support!
Thank you Susan Dezelan and to Caption First's Kathy Cortopassi, for being our Remote CART providers. We are most grateful for the donation of your time and skill.
Free Equipment Lending Library LINK
Donate your old Hearing Aids.
Hearing Aid Donation Center.pdfDonate your old hearing aid (link to above form) when you attend our chapter meetings. We are a donation center for hearing Charities of America. www.HearingAidDonations.org All donations are tax deductible and you will receive a letter of acknowledgement.
HLAA membership is complimentary for Veterans
As we observe Veterans Day this year, we would like to extend a heartfelt “thank you” to all of the men an women who currently serve or have served our country.
Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter
HLAA has a virtual chapter, specifically for Veteran members (and caregivers)! Members of this online chapter can log-in remotely, collaborate with others on projects, join discussions, delegate tasks, and more. You can find out more about the new HLAA Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter on the Veteranspage. If you are interested in joining the virtual chapter, please email chapters@hearingloss.org.
Surveys – Your Input is Valuable
Please sign the petition to support free auto captions on video conferencing platforms for people with hearing loss.
Survey about Mask Performance
In order to keep product comments separate, we decided to do separate surveys for each type of shield and mask.
Which face shield or mask with clear window do you use? Click on the corresponding link below to leave us your thoughts! You may answer more than once if you have multiple products.
The mission of the Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities is to advance the independence, productivity and inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of society. To do this, the Council identifies problems or needs that should be addressed. These problems or needs are agreed upon by our board members and identified in GCPD's 5-Year State Plan. This State Plan is used to create specific grant proposals.
The 5-Year State Plan Public Survey will be the first step in identifying problems and needs. The Council believes it is important to know what people like you find important.
We have broken the surveys out into three separate groups: People with Disabilities; Parents, Family Members, and Guardians; and Disability Professionals and Other Stakeholders. We know that there are absolutely people who fit into more than one of those categories! We ask that you fill out the survey that you feel the most comfortable identifying with; please do not fill out more than one survey.
Our testers have reported that the survey may take as little as 10 minutes, or as long as 45 minutes, to fill out. Please make sure that you set aside enough time to fully make your opinions count! Like the Census, this is a way to help make sure that you have a say in your government and your community!
The surveys are here:
We also have a short version that gets the bare bones of our needs--the long one is more useful, but we understand that not everyone has a lot of time to give. We appreciate any answers we receive!
Thank you for your time, your input, and your comments!
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Southwest ADA Center is conducting research to investigate the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Center is asking people who have personal or professional experience on disability issues to complete this survey.